Australia beat England by seven wickets at Lord’s on Sunday to secure a record-extending seventh Women’s T20 World Cup title.
England had posted a subpar 150-4 in their allotted overs after losing the toss, with captain Nat Sciver-Brunt (58 not out off 53 balls) and Freya Kemp (44no off 28) doing their best against an elite bowling outfit.
However, Australia chased down that total with 17 balls to spare thanks to the heroics of Beth Mooney (64 off 49) and Phoebe Litchfield (48 off 35).
The hosts were hunting for a first title since the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup, but it was not to be in front of nearly 29,000 fans at the home of cricket.
Sciver-Brunt proud despite loss
“The best two sides were in the final and Australia bowled really well to really restrict us and not let us play too freely. We didn’t have enough runs in the end,” Sciver-Brunt admitted in the post-match press conference.
“In truth, when they have such a long batting line-up, you’d always ask the openers to go and take on the game and they did that brilliantly. We were outplayed.
On the clear superiority of Australia to any other team in the women’s game, Sciver-Brunt said: “We didn’t show our best today, so I guess the gap [to Australia] is probably closer than that shows.
“I think throughout the tournament both teams have played some brilliant cricket, having been put under pressure by other teams and coming out the other side.
“Barring this game, we have won some games in emphatic fashion and are hugely confident about our ability and what we can do as a team.
“I don’t want our girls to forget how proud we can be about everything that we’ve done throughout this tournament.”
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Edwards happy with England trajectory
England head coach Charlotte Edwards likewise chose to focus on the positives after the defeat, saying: “I think you’ve seen improvements in some of our younger players and that’s what’s been really pleasing this tournament for me – how they’ve performed on the big stage.
“I’ve seen the improvements they’ve made in six months. I’m just excited to work another 12 months with these players to see where we can take them.
“It has been quite significant the strides we’ve made, but we’ve still got further to go, which is exciting for us as a group.
“I’m pretty content and I’m pretty happy with where the group is at. I think the future’s really bright for us as a team.
“We know the standard, we’ve seen it, and I think that will only drive us forward and hopefully motivate us even more.”
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Molineux lauds Australia team ethic
Australia captain Sophie Molineux was understandably ecstatic with the comprehensive victory, telling reporters: “Seven T20 World Cup titles sounds too good to be true.
“It took a lot of thought, a lot of effort, a lot of hard work and a group of people who want to do anything for each other – playing for each other and caring for each other.
“I think it’s just trusting each other, trusting our processes. We have done a lot of work on that.
“In the last few World Cups, in moments we have been on the back foot, we haven’t known what to do. The answer was to use our brains, think our way through it and use our skills.
“I am really pleased how the last few weeks have gone.”
Taking a moment to praise Australia’s perennial rivals, Molineux added: “A massive congratulations to England – you guys have played such an amazing brand of cricket and achieved the ambition of inspiring a nation.”
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Simon Wilkes